Large-scale oil recovery operation up for an award

A project to safely remove and recycle 6.4 million litres of gas oil at Derwent Power
Station has been nominated for an environmental award.

Crown Oil undertook the complex operation without spilling a single drop of oil, despite over 200 tanker movements being required. The company claims its environmental services division is one of only a few companies in the UK with the resources to undertake oil recovery work on this scale.

Crown Oil analyses and assesses fuel recovered from industry and re-blends it if necessary before it is sold to the market. The Derwent contract was just one of several undertaken - the company completed a similar project to recover 25 million litres of fuel at Medway Power Station in Kent in 2010.

Crown Oil's general manager Mark Andrews said the company is now actively negotiating further contracts. "Many power stations and large industrial gas users face a dilemma following changes to the interruptible gas tariff.

"These companies may have large stocks of reserve gas oil that is no longer needed that will only deteriorate with time and may become an environmental hazard. Oil removal and the safe decommissioning of tanks avoid these problems and allow the companies concerned to release working capital."

Crown Oil has also developed a high grade bio-fuel derived from 100% sustainable sources for combined heat and power (CHP) plant. This enables users to collect maximum renewable obligation certificates to offset against other carbon producing activity.

The environmental award is organised by HazardEx magazine and winners will be revealed at a gala dinner in Harrogate on February 29.